The present invention relates generally to packaging systems and more particularly relates to methods and systems for organizing and packaging sets of sheets or other types of stackable products.
The packaging of textile products generally has been a manual process. For example, a set of sheets 10 generally may include a fitted sheet 20, one or more pillowcases 30, and a flat sheet 40. A worker generally would take the fitted sheet 20, place one or more of the pillowcases 30 on top of the fitted sheet 20, and then place the flat sheet 40 on top of the pillowcases 30. The worker would insure that the sheets 20, 40 and the pillowcases 30 are properly aligned. The worker then would place a J-board 50 around the sheets 20, 40 and the pillowcases 30. The J-board 50 may be a printed piece of material, such as cardboard, with promotional and/or identifying indicia thereon. The sheets 20, 40, the pillow cases 30, and the J-board 50 then may be placed within a wrapping device such as a shrink-wrap machine so as to apply a layer of shrink-wrap 60 or other type of wrapping to package the set of sheets 10. The set 10 then may have a label or other types of finishings applied. The set 10 then may be packed and shipped to the consumer. Other than the actual application of the shrink-wrap layer 60 and the label, to date this process has been almost completely manual and time intensive.
There is a desire, therefore, to automate, at least in part, the process of producing the set of sheets 10 or any other type of grouping of product elements that must be organized, arranged, and wrapped. The process and system preferably should be easy to use and produce a high quality finished product in a lesser amount of time as compared to the manual process.
The present invention thus provides a product packaging system for organizing and packing a number of different items into a set. The system may include a number of staging conveyors. Each of the staging conveyors may carry a stack of items from the number of different items. The system further may include a positioning conveyor positioned adjacent to the staging conveyors and a number of removal devices positioned adjacent to the positioning conveyor. The removal devices may remove one item from the stack of items on each of the staging conveyors and place the item on the positioning conveyor. The system also may include one or more rotation devices positioned about the positioning conveyor so as to rotate the one items on the positioning conveyor.
The product packaging system further may include a number of product stack backups positioned adjacent to the staging conveyors. The product stack backups may have a product plate that is positionable behind one of the stacks of items.
The positioning conveyor may include a number of conveyors that define an aperture therebetween. The rotation devices may be positioned within the aperture. The rotation devices may include a product plate, rotation drive means so as to rotate the plate, and vertical drive means so as to elevate the product plate.
The removal devices may include a number of product paddles with reciprocating drive means. The removal devices may include a number of stop guides with reciprocating drive means positioned adjacent to the product paddles. The removal devices may include vertical drive means so as to maneuver the product paddles and the stop guides. The removal devices may include a vision device so as to distinguish an individual item from the stack of items on the conveyors. The vision device may be a machine vision sensor.
The staging conveyors may include a first staging conveyor with a first stack of items, a second staging conveyor with a second stack of items, and a third staging conveyor with a third stack of items. The removal devices may include a first device to remove a first item from the first stack and to place the first item on the positioning conveyor, a second device to remove a second item from the second stack and to place the second item on the first item, and a third device to remove a third item from the third stack and to place the third item on the second item. The rotational devices may include a first device to rotate the first item, a second device to rotate the first item and the second item, and a third device to rotate the first item, the second item, and the third item.
The system further may include a third conveyor. The positioning conveyor may include a retractable conveyor nose so as to position the items on the third conveyor. The system further may include a J-board device for covering the set with a J-board. The J-board device may include positioning means and a vacuum source to cover the set with the J-board. The system further may include a shrink-wrap device to shrink-wrap the set.
A further embodiment of the present invention may provide for a product packaging system for organizing and packing a number of sheets and pillowcases. The system may include a number of staging conveyors with a first staging conveyor carrying a stack of sheets and a second staging conveyor carrying a stack of pillowcases. The system also may include a positioning conveyor positioned adjacent to the staging conveyors and a number of removal devices positioned adjacent to the positioning conveyor. A first removal device may remove one sheet from the stack of sheets and place the sheet on the positioning conveyor and a second removal device may remove one pillowcase from the stack of pillowcases and place the pillowcase on the sheet on the positioning conveyor. The system also may include one or more rotation devices positioned about the positioning conveyor so as to rotate the sheet and/or the pillowcase. The removal devices may include a vision device so as to distinguish an individual sheet from the stack of sheets and/or an individual pillowcase from the stack of pillowcases.
A method of the present invention may create a set of different items. The method may include the steps of separating a first item from a stack of first items, rotating the first item, advancing the first item along a predetermined path, separating a second item from a stack of second items, placing the second item on the first item, rotating the first item and the second item, advancing the first item and the second item along the predetermined path, and shrink-wrapping the first item and the second item to form the set.
Other features of the present invention will become apparent upon review the following detailed description of the embodiments when taken in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.